Back in March, we shared the story of Peter Cura, an otherwise healthy carpenter who suddenly began experiencing severe back pain. Before that, he rarely got a cold but he knew something was wrong. At 31, Cura died from complications of kidney cancer, after doctors repeatedly misdiagnosed his kidney cancer 37 times. They told him he had kidney stones. Cura kept insisting on a CAT scan and by the time the doctors agreed, and discovered it was kidney cancer, it was too late.
The statement issued by the Medway Maritime Hospital, "Medway NHS Trust would again like to express its heartfelt and sincere condolences and regrets to the family of Mr Cura. Mistakes were made and nothing that the Trust can say will alleviate the suffering and loss experienced by this family. However, lessons have been learned from this tragic case," is little comfort to Cura's widow Julia, or his two small children, Lewis, six, and Abigail, three.
Julia says the youngest child keep asking when daddy is coming home, and the older boy has grown quiet and withdrawn. She is vowing to fight on for justice in this matter. The hospital and doctors who saw and treated Cura have not been held accountable. According to Julia, the hospital has stated that her husband would have died anyway. Given the circumstances leading up to his death, that seems an entirely wrong and insensitive position to take and the incredulous realities of this story just keep coming to light.
1. What a tragedy.
This is what we have to look forward to in the US with the socialization of medicine.
Posted at 6:44PM on Jul 11th 2006 by James